Yuuri's 25th
by ArtemisNakajima
Summary: It's Yuuri's birthday... again, and he's anything but excited. Viktor, on the other hand, is ecstatic; he has a proposition for Yuuri, but wonders if he's gonna get something more than he bargained for. And this proposition could turn Yuuri's birthday into a day long remembered... or could end in complete disaster.
1. Chapter 1

It was just after dark in Kyushu, Hasetsu, the sun having set just moments ago. Viktor stared out onto the horizon, dreaming about his beloved Yuuri as he twisted his fingers into nervous knots. His gray hair blew in the slight breeze, the silver filaments catching the final snatches of sunshine as the light slowly dissipated over the horizon. The tears that adorned Viktor's face were not of happiness or sadness; rather, a mix of the two. He had a big question for Yuuri. But was Yuuri's 25th birthday really the best time to ask him? Viktor bored over this question as he tucked his chilled hands into his long overcoat and returned into his hotel room, collapsing into a chair. The fact that he was unsure made him wonder if he was making the right choice.

Viktor sighed, lying his head back into the headrest of the chair. The bed was more comfortable, but the chair helped him think. He closed his eyes, seeing Yuuri's beautiful face reflected on their lids.

When he awoke the next morning, he knew. Contrary to his irresolute feelings the night before, he was confident. Tonight was the night.

Viktor slid his coat from the rack and slipped it on in one swift and fluid movement, pulling the door closed behind him as he ran to the one store that he had been avoiding for the past few months because he didn't want to get his hopes up. Today was different though. Today, he would ask, and he would finally know if Yuuri truly felt the same.

Yuuri slipped the skate guards back onto his blades, taking care to brush the congealed ice off the skate's silver surface. He grimaced at his reflection in their shimmering reflective faces. Yuuri was not looking forward to his birthday; it was just another day in the life of Katsuki Yuuri that was over-celebrated and given unnecessary special meaning. In Japanese culture, the family typically didn't celebrate the birthday with their child beyond mature years, and the Katsuki family was no different. Yuuri had invited all his competitors from last season (sans Jean-Jacques Leroy) to the hot pot place to celebrate, but he was nervous. This was the first time that Viktor would be there with him during his birthday, and he didn't want anything to make him leave. Yuuri was attached; he would admit that… but he still wouldn't admit just how attached he'd actually gotten. Or that Viktor really meant more to him than he ever thought possible.

"Yuuri!" called Viktor, barging in on his stormy thoughts. Viktor always had a knack for showing up at the wrong time, and today was no exception. "Today is your birthday! Why are you practicing?" Viktor sounded genuinely curious.

"I wanted to get a head start on next month's competitions." It wasn't a lie; Yuuri felt that his abysmal performance in the short program the year before was something that needed to be fixed, and now was as good a time as ever. Plus, it was a good excuse for getting out of his stuffy house. Viktor didn't seem to get it though.

"But Yuuri," he whined. "I wanted to hang out with you! It's almost six already, and we haven't spent a wink of time together yet!" Viktor, now sporting a pair of gold-plated skates, slid out onto the ice, performing a couple perfect flips. Viktor stole Yuuri's attention, and his covered skates were neglected. He placed his hands in his lap, watching Viktor's flawless skating. He was immensely impressed, knowing that Viktor hadn't skated in a while. Then again, Viktor was also a skating god; a few months without hard, tough practice didn't mean a thing for his performance. Yuuri whistled approvingly, and when Viktor turned, Yuuri winked at him. Viktor's skates slipped, and he placed his hands out in front of him, catching his fall.

"You're so mean, Yuuri!" Despite his annoyed tone, Viktor was grinning, a small laugh escaping his lips. He got up, wincing as he stood.

"That's probably enough practice for today. I think that I've hurt myself more today than I have in the past 3 years," remarked Viktor, laughing as he grasped his side. Yuuri, noticing for the first time that Viktor might be seriously injured, gasped,

"VIKTOR! Oh I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Yuuri! It's fine! I still love you the same!" Viktor grinned, gliding beautifully over to Yuuri, his injury not impairing his skating in the least.

"V-Viktor!" stuttered Yuuri before being pulled into a tight embrace by his love, unable to keep a small smile from his face. Viktor was so ridiculous and smitten with him. Everyone could tell. People would see them on the street, walking side by side, and immediately point them out as lovers. It didn't surprise Yuuri much though. It was more difficult to keep Viktor off him than it was to keep a 3-ton mother elephant from her newborn baby. Viktor couldn't be closer to Yuuri if he was on top of him.

Viktor planted small kisses down his collarbone, laughing into his neck. Yuuri smiled, pulling away.

"We still have to meet the others for dinner." He rolled his eyes as if to say, _Obligations, am I right?_ Viktor just nodded, grabbing Yuuri's hand and helping him out of his skates and placing them in Yuuri's bag as Yuuri tied up his shoelaces. Once done, Yuuri stood, collecting his bag from Viktor and walking out of the skating rink, his arm wrapped possessively around Viktor's shoulders. Viktor looked like he was about to burst with excitement.

"If you keep that up, Viktor, I don't think that you'll be able to eat dinner." Viktor just laughed, the flush that had accumulated disappearing in an instant.

"I'm just excited!"

"But Viktor, it's just my birthday," Yuuri looked genuinely confused, but just laughed it off.

"What do you mean, it's JUST YOUR BIRTHDAY?!" he gasped. "My Yuuri is turning 25 and I have no right to be excited?" Viktor looked at Yuuri, his eyes glimmering.

"Viktor-I mean—I just-"

"It's okay, I get it, Yuuri!" Viktor bubbled, his mood unimpaired. "Let's go see the others!"

It was nearly eight by the time Yuuri and Viktor reached the hot-pot place downtown. They had arrived later than usual, as they were supposed to be there at seven thirty, but it didn't seem to bother anyone. In fact, it seemed to have given the others more time to arrive. Phichit, Chris, Sara, Mickey, Guang-Hong, Leo, Otabek, and Yurio were all there (though Yurio seemed to be having more fun flirting with Otabek than paying any actual attention to Yuuri), plus Minako-sensei and Mari-neechan. They all cheered when Yuuri arrived, and Yuuri suddenly felt his anxiety well up again. He was comfortable around these people, but it was still weird for him to be there on such a 'momentous' occasion, and he didn't like all the attention.

"It's okay, Yuuri, just breathe," Viktor whispered in his ear, his breath sending tingles up Yuuri's spine. Viktor wrapped his arms around Yuuri, grinning at the others but stealing nervous glances at Yuuri every few moments. Yuuri relaxed a little; Viktor understood his predicament. Or, what he could understand. Viktor never had any sort of public fright, therefore he would never be able to completely understand Yuuri's issue, but he was doing the best he could. Yuuri was thankful for that, and he smiled, but it was just a façade. Inside, he was a ball of nervousness and jitters, but having Viktor's body pressed up against his and his breath in his ear was helping a lot. More than he wanted to admit, actually.

"Happy birthday, Yuuri!" called everyone. They all smiled, revealing the two chairs they had saved for Yuuri and Viktor (which sat adjacent to each other, of course). Viktor pulled a reluctant Yuuri to one of the seats. Yuuri sat next to Phichit as the others began to bombard him with questions; they hadn't seen him since the last competition. Yuuri smiled anxiously and leaned up against Viktor, who had sat next to him and now held his hand tightly underneath the table. Phichit looked down and noticed this, but (for once) made no comment. He just proceeded to wave the waiter over and order something off the menu while the others chatted incessantly, constantly trying to get Yuuri to talk.

The waiter came around, taking everyone's order, and Phichit looked to Yuuri.

"Choose whatever you want, no matter the price. We've got you covered," he said, smiling. Yuuri sighed, thanking Phichit and giving him a tight hug. Phichit was surprised; while he and Yuuri had known each other for years, Yuuri rarely ever hugged him. Then he felt the tears on his shoulder.

"Thank you," Yuuri said, tears streaming down his face. He pulled away, his hand subconsciously entwining back with Viktor's. His demeanor seemed to have changed; what caused this, Phichit didn't know.

When the food arrived, Yuuri became progressively more verbose. He was willing to talk about things that had only moments ago made him want to curl up into a tight ball, and for this, Viktor was thankful. He gave Yuuri's hand a tight squeeze as the food was placed before them before letting go. Viktor grabbed a pair of chopsticks, digging in as a bowl was placed before Yuuri.

"Vkusno!" yelled Viktor and Yuuri at the same time. They glanced over at each other and started laughing, the others quickly joining in. A few, like Guang-Hong and Leo, were confused, but shook it off. Soon, everyone was laughing, staring happily into their food bowls, paying no attention to Yuuri and Viktor anymore. This was fine with them, for they probably didn't even realize this. They just stared at each other, their food forgotten. Viktor put down his chopsticks, reaching down to take Yuuri's hands. The conversation around them was growing, but Viktor and Yuuri only saw each other's eyes.

"V-Viktor, what are you doing?" Yuuri asked as Viktor took Yuuri's chin in his hands. Viktor's left hand came around, quickly removing Yuuri's glasses from his face as the table went quiet. This didn't bother him as much as the look on Viktor's face. It was one of pure mischief.

"Vik-!" Viktor leaned forward, cutting Yuuri off with his finger. He then wrapped his hand around Yuuri's shoulders and pulled him into a deep kiss. Yuuri, shocked at first, just sat there, his eyes wide. Then he closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around Viktor's shoulders, and kissed him right back.

A collective gasp arose from the table, but a loud cheer broke through the surprise. Phichit started clapping, saying,

"I told you so!" The rest of the table seemed both surprised and excited, Yurio saying,

"I thought that whole engagement thing last year was a joke." Viktor pulled away from Yuuri, even as Yuuri tried to pull him back towards him. Then Viktor pushed back in his chair and knelt before Yuuri, pulling a small velvet box from his coat's inside pocket. Yuuri, overcome with emotion, started to cry, his hands lifting to cover the lower half of his face. Tears started to roll down Viktor's cheeks, and he said shakily,

"Katsuki Yuuri, will you marry me?" Yuuri felt his eyes close, and the last thing he remembered was Viktor's terrified eyes looking into his before he felt his head hit the floor and he lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

_Last Year: Night before the Grand Prix Final…_

" _Viktor, we need to talk," Yuuri called across the room, dropping his hotel key-card onto the miniscule desk by the door. He pulled off his coat, slinging it into the closet and pulling off his shoes, before tossing them in as well. He removed his glasses, wiping his eyes and his glasses' lenses before replacing them on his face._

" _Yes?" Viktor's head popped out of the bathroom, his hair sopping wet and plastered to his face. Yuuri tried to suppress a laugh, but only succeeded in turning it into a gasping sort of giggle. Viktor looked extremely confused, but when Yuuri doubled over and pointed at his face, Viktor understood. He slipped back into the bathroom, and Yuuri heard a blow-drier turn on, but the sound only lasted a few moments. When Viktor popped back out of the bathroom again, his hair was perfect, and Yuuri was able to get control of his laughter._

" _You said there was something we needed to address?" Viktor asked, sitting on the edge of the bed._

" _Ummm… yeah. The rings," Yuuri muttered, sitting down beside Viktor on the bed and casually wrapping his arm around Viktor's waist. Viktor looked towards Yuuri, curious._

" _You… You DO understand they weren't meant to be engagement rings, right? And, umm… I don't think I'm ready for that yet." Viktor looked solemn, pulling away from Yuuri and placing his hands in his lap._

" _I'm sorry," he whispered, eyes downcast._

" _Viktor! It's okay… I'm just saying that I don't think I'm ready for marriage yet! I still want to be with you. And when the time comes, I probably will say yes, but… just, you didn't really give me a choice."_

" _What?"_

" _Well, at the restaurant. What could I have said, 'No, they aren't wedding rings, Viktor was just joking'? Do you think that would've played over very well?" Viktor just looked at Yuuri, tears in his eyes._

" _Oh, crap. I LOVE YOU VIKTOR, AND NOTHING WILL CHANGE THAT. However, we have only known each other for around 8 months. That's too early for a proposal! Heck, IT WASN'T EVEN A PROPOSAL!" Yuuri said emphatically, throwing his arms up in the air. Viktor just looked him directly in the eyes, and Yuuri felt the tears in his own eyes before they even fell. Viktor's sadness was contagious._

" _I'm sorry, Yuuri. I—I won't do it again." And with that, Viktor pulled on a coat, slipped on his shoes, and was out the door. As the door slammed shut, Yuuri couldn't help but wonder if that was a promise that he wanted him to keep, or if he even would be able to keep it in the long run._

Present Day:

"YUURI! YUURI!" called Viktor, terrified. Yuuri opened his eyes, pain etching his face as he reached for the backside of his neck. Yuuri could barely see; his vision was impaired due to the fall. Viktor held Yuuri's head in his hand, and Viktor's face was mere inches from his own. When Yuuri was finally conscious, Viktor leaned down and kissed him, hard, on the mouth.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" asked worried passerby, looking to the group as they clustered over Yuuri and Viktor. Nobody paid them enough attention to actually SEE if Yuuri was okay, but it's the thought that counts, right?

"Wha… happened?" asked Yuuri groggily. He tried to sit up, blacking out momentarily and falling back into Viktor's arms. When he turned to Viktor and saw the tears adorning his face, he realized that something was definitely wrong.

"You… um… fainted. I tried to catch you, and was mostly able to, but your head hit the ground. How are you feeling? How many fingers am I holding up?" Viktor held up three fingers.

"Four. I'm fine, Viktor." Yuuri, again, attempted to sit up, but this time Viktor held him down.

"Are you alright?" called a voice. A young woman stepped around the table, leaning down.

"I'm a nurse. Don't worry." She checked his blood pressure and pulled out a flashlight.

"Do you always carry one of those with you?" asked Phichit.

"As a precaution," she answered, flashing the light in his eyes and checking his pupil dilation. Yuuri turned, trying to avoid the light, but the nurse held him down firmly.

"Alright, he looks like he's suffered a minor concussion. You can take him home, you'll just have to make sure to keep him awake for the next few hours." She placed a finger on her lips pensively.

"Actually, do you mind if I come along? I want to make sure he's okay. I hate leaving a patient, even if he's not technically… you know… my patient," She smiled wanly, looking directly at Viktor.

"All right, but only because I don't really know what to do." Viktor leaned down, picking Yuuri up in his arms. The nurse called a taxi, and they were already in the car before Viktor decided to ask an obvious question.

"What is your name?" he asked her. She laughed, pulling out a business card.

"Katherine Kearsley, but my friends call me Kat. What about you?" Viktor looked positively taken aback.

"I'm Viktor Nikiforov. The five-time world champion gold medalist in figure skating. Do you honestly…?" He asked, looking to her. She looked awed.

"Oh, really?! I didn't know! Who's this?" She asked, pointing to Yuuri overenthusiastically.

"I'm Katsuki Yuuri, and I can speak for myself," he said grumpily, rubbing the side on his head. Viktor laughed at the state of his hair, making Yuuri extremely self-conscious. Kat started laughing, too, and they didn't stop until they reached Yuuri's house.

"Wow, your family owns an Onsen?!" she asked, taking a short look around. Yuuri still couldn't remain standing for long, and they quickly took him to his room on the far side of the house. Once they sat him down, they watched him like hawks.

Kat wouldn't let Yuuri sleep for almost 8 hours. They watched Tv, played games, ate, and talked. Finally, she let Yuuri sleep, but she checked on him every so often, just to see how he was doing. She and Viktor sat in two of the chairs around the room, sipping coffee from their respective mugs. They chatted a bit, watching Yuuri sleep. After about an hour, Kat's demeanor changed.

"Hey… so your friend seems really nice," she started, fingering the thin filigree designs on the outside of her mug. Viktor wondered how she could make such assumptions when she hadn't known Yuuri outside of this concussed state. She looked at Viktor.

"What made him fall?" she asked. Viktor looked over at her, surprised it took her this long to ask.

"Umm… I surprised him."

"Oh, is it his birthday?" she asked.

"Yeah. But that wasn't the reason he was surprised." Viktor said. He got up, changing the subject.

"Anyway, do you want some more coffee?" He left the room, taking Kat's mug as she held it out to him. Viktor refilled the mugs, taking as long as he could to do this.

It wasn't that Viktor was embarrassed or anything about proposing to Yuuri; quite the opposite, really. Kat seemed really quite nice; he didn't think she'd be disgusted either. The real reason was that he was still nervous about Yuuri's answer. Every moment without Yuuri's response was making Viktor more and more nervous, and he was new to the feeling. He put milk and sugar into the coffees, taking them both back to the room at the same time. Then Viktor heard something that made him stop in his tracks.

"So… um… do you want to get drinks sometime?" It was Kat's voice. Viktor placed the mugs on a small table by the door to avoid dropping them.

"That would be nice," said Yuuri. Viktor felt his heart begin to wither away in his chest, and he peeked inside of the room. Kat sat next to Yuuri, her arm draped around his shoulder. Then Yuuri sat bolt upright.

"Wait, you mean like on a DATE?!" he asked, turning towards her. She blushed.

"Well, yeah…" Yuuri squeezed his eyes shut, gripping the sheets below him.

"Um… listen…" he said, removing her arm from his shoulders. Viktor stared, unable to look away. _What would Yuuri say?_

"I'm getting married." Viktor's heart stopped in his chest. _Did he just say…_

"You met Viktor, right? He's my Fiancé." Kat sat back, shock slowing her movements. She looked up, finally noticing Viktor in the doorway. Viktor didn't think that she expected to see the enormous smile on his face though.

"Then you say yes?" Viktor asked, racing forward and holding Yuuri's arms. Yuuri looked directly in Viktor's eyes, smiling more brightly than Viktor had ever seen before.

"The surprise… you proposed…" Kat mumbled, finally making the connection. She stood, picking up her coat and standing by the door. Viktor and Yuuri didn't even realize that she had said anything before she was gone.

"Of course I say yes, Viktor. I love you, and this time, I'm ready." He leaned forward and kissed Viktor as Viktor slipped a sliver coiled ring on his finger. Then Yuuri leaned back, pulled the other one out of the ring box Viktor had pulled out, and he pushed it onto Viktor's finger. He smiled at Viktor, saying,

"I love you, Viktor. And this time, our engagement is real." They kissed, and Viktor realized that he had never felt happier in his life.


End file.
